


Keeping Me (Down)

by idoltina



Series: Prompt Fills: Once Upon a Time [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-08 06:30:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6842884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idoltina/pseuds/idoltina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt fill for <b>hooked queen + gravity</b>. Canon divergent post 4B. In the wake of Emma’s disappearance as the new Dark One, Regina finds herself feeling the gravity the way darkness impacts those around her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keeping Me (Down)

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:** alcohol abuse, references to previous canonical rape

The gravity of the situation at hand is not lost on Regina.

Really, the gravity of _every_ situation at hand right now is not lost on her. She’s aware of how the forgetting potion has affected Roland’s memory, aware of how it’s affecting his ability to learn and setting him back in school. She’s aware of the damage her sister has inflicted on Robin’s psyche, aware of the way he’s hesitant to do more than exchange lazy kisses and sleep next to her fully clothed at night. She’s aware of the toll Emma’s disappearance has taken on Henry, aware of the nightmares that plague him and cause him to wake up screaming. She’s aware of how much Mary Margaret’s trying to avoid thinking about it, aware of the way she keeps her son much closer to her than before. She’s aware of David’s treks into the woods to find Emma, aware of the constant cake of mud on his boots. She’s aware of Belle’s desire to help, aware of the mountains of books that surround her. She’s aware of Gold’s lack of guilt or blame in this at all, aware of the way his mouth twists into a frown as he resumes limping around town with his cane.

More pressing at the moment, Regina is aware of the way time is eating Hook alive. She’s aware of his absence more the longer Emma stays missing. She’s aware of the way he avoids her eyes whenever they cross paths. She’s aware of the nights he spends with David and Robin, aware of the lingering scent of alcohol that tells her they’ve been down at the Rabbit Hole.

It’s only when her own nightmares start to plague her -- visions of Emma that leave Regina riddled with guilt and suffocated by darkness -- that Regina finally decides enough is enough.

This -- they -- all of them are Emma’s family, and the only hope they have of finding a way to locate her and help her is if they do it together.

So she starts with Hook.

Empty bottles litter the stairway down into the captain’s quarters of the Jolly Roger, but not even the sound of her kicking them aside with her boots is enough to wake him from what she’s fairly certain is an alcohol-induced slumber. He’s half-sprawled on the bed, arm slung over his eyes, something indiscernible hanging from his hook. She’s annoyed at the mere sight of him like this, honestly, but exchanging barbs isn’t what she came here to do.

She came here to rally.

So it’s with a very deft and deliberate kick of her boot that she jostles his leg enough to wake him from his stupor. He mumbles out something unintelligible but doesn’t move much, so she kicks him again. “Wake up,” she snaps sharply, ignoring his indignant noise of protest as he blinks blearily over at her and shields his eyes from the sunlight pouring in through the windows. “We’ve got work to do.”


End file.
